Sausage destringing method



March 25, 1958 A. RUNE ET AL 2,827,660

SAUSAGE DESTRINGING METHOD Original Filed May 10, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1ADOLPH APU/VE RALPH M F4 U5 7' INVENTORS BY yy@ A Trop/VFY March 25,3.958 A. RUNE ETAL sAusAGE DESTRINGING METHOD original Filed May 10..1955

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Uff'f RALPH M FUJT INVENTORS BY /ffffz ATTORNEY UnitedStates Patent C): f

SAUSAGE DESTRINGING METHOD Adolph Rune, Winthrop Harbor, and Ralph M.Faust, Berwyn, lll., assignors to Swift & Company, Chicago, ill., acorporation of Illinois Original application May 10, 1955, Serial No.507,442,

now Patent No. 2,795,811, dated June 18, 1957. Divided and thisapplication August 7, 1956, Serial No. 662,631

1 Claim. (Cl. 17-45) The present invention relates toa method forremoving the strings that were Wrapped around a lilled sausage casing toform the iilled sausage casing into a length of links of sausages.

ln the manufacture o'f sausages a casing is iilled with a comminutedmeat-containing mixture with the casing then being pinched oli atregular intervals to form the lengths of sausages. One of the ways ofpinching oli the casing is to just wrap a short piece of string severaltimes around the casing.

When skinless sausages are produced the casing is removed after thecomminuted meat-containing mixture has been cooked and otherwiseprocessed in the casing. A number of machines have been produced forremoving these casings. With the casing removing machines generally incommercial use today, it is rst necessary to delink the lengths ofsausages before the casing is removed. Where a string has been used inthe manner described to perform the linking the delinking processcomprises the removal of this string. In order to perform this job at aspeed commensurate with the speed of removal of the casings by thecasing removal machines `and to hold down the cost of carrying out thedelinking process, it is desirable to have a method whereby this stringremoval can be performed by a machine. The principal object of thepresent invention is to provide such a method that is not only speedybut is suiificiently reliable so that `all of the strings are removed.Obviously, if not all of the strings are removed, the failure to removethe strings will cause a malfunction in the casing removal apparatus andincrease the cost by requiring inspection to detect those strings thatlare left on and requiring other operations to remove any of the stringsthat are left on.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a machine thatis relatively inexpensive; a machine in which the majority of thecomponents are standard, readily obtainable parts; a machine thatrequires no special skills to operate; and a machine that requireslittle maintenance and what maintenance is necessary can be provided bynonspecialists, i. e., individuals having the usual trade abilities.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the machine of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a second embodiment of the invention;

Figure 4 is an enlarged partial section taken at line 4-4 of Figure 3;and

Figure 5 is an enlarged partial section taken at line 5-5 of Figure 3.

The present invention is intended to operate with a linking devicewherein the linking is performed yby wrapping several turns of a stringat spaced intervals about the casing. Devices for linking lengths offilled sausage cas- Patented Mar.-` 2-5, 1958 ings in this manner areillustrated and described in U. S. Patent No. 2,228,075.

In the present method for removing these strings an axial tension isapplied to the lengths of casings and sausages. Preferably this tensionis repeated a number of times in order to insure that the strings areremoved. This periodic applying of tension to the lengths of casing andsausages 'loosens up the string suciently so that it falls from thecasing.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 for carrying out thisprocess on lengths of sausage 9, the machine comprises a frame generally10, a first means -generally 11 for engaging and advancing the lengthsof sausages, a power means generally 12 land a tension applying meansincluding a sausage engaging means generally 13 and a tensioning meansgenerally 14.

The first sausage engaging means 11 includes a wheel 16 attached to ashaft 17 journaled in suitable bearings 18. The periphery of Wheel lo isgrooved to receive the lengths of sausages and is knurled or otherwiseroughened to increase the frictional engagement between the sausagecasings Iand the Wheel. In some embodiments the friction will besuiicient without the roughening of the surface. This will beparticularly true where the wheel 16 is formed of rubber. A roller 19rotatably mounted on one end of arm 2li pivotally attached to frame 10is pressed against the opposite side of the lengths of sausages 9 bymeans of a spring 21 to hold the sausages in engagement with Wheel 16.As will be seen in Figure 2, arm 20 is mounted on a shaft 22 journaledin a bearing 23 forming a part of frame 10. A second arm 24 is attachedto the other end of shaft 22 with the spring 21 connecting the end ofarm 24 and frame 10 to urge arm 24 and arm 20 downwardly so that roller19 presses the lengths of sausages against wheel 16.

Shaft 17 has a pulley 26 attached thereto, with a lbelt 27 connectingpulley 26 with the output pulley 28 on a variable speed drive 29. Theinput pulley 3i: of the variable speed drive 29 is connected with a belt31 Vto va pulley 32 on the shaft of a motor 33.

From the first engaging means 11, the lengths of sausages 9 are passedaround tensioning means 14. In this embodiment the tensioning meansincludes a grooved pulley 35 rotatably attached to the end of a shaft 36which in turn is attached to the end of an arm 37. A bolt 3S pivotallysecures the arm 37 to frame 10. The weight of arm 37 and pulley 35 urgesthe lengths of sausages resiliently downwards between the first engagingand advancing means 11 and the second engaging means 13. The extent towhich it is urged downwardly can be varied by adjusting the position ofa counterweight 39 on arm 37.

In the embodiment of Figures l and 2, the second sausage engaging means13 is mounted so as to periodically apply a tension to the lengths ofsausage 9 against the resistance of the tensioning means 14. To achievethis the second sausage engaging means 13 includes a grooved wheel 42,similar to wheel 16, fixed to shaft 43 journaled in one end of a rocker44 which in effect forms a portion of frame 1t). Actually, rocker 44 ispivotally mounted on shaft 17 as seen in Figure 2. The lengths ofsausages 9 are held in engagement with wheel 42 by a roller 45. Roller4S is rotatably secured to a pin 46 on one end of an arm 47. Arm 47 ispivotally attached to rocker 44 by means of a -bolt It. A spring 49connects the opposite end of arm 47 with a post Sti on rocker 44 andurges arm 47 about bolt 48 so as to press the roller 45 against theopposite side of the lengths of sausages and to hold said lengths ofsausages in engagement with wheel 42. A sprocket 51 fixed to shaft 43 isconnected to `a sprocket 52 attached to shaft 17 by a chain 53.

One end-of a connecting-rod S4 is pivotally attached to rocker 44and atthe *other* endis attached toa `crank 55 lixed to shaft 56. Shaft 56 issuitably journaled in bearings Vforming a part of frame Iand at theotherA end hasapulleyY 57 attached-thereto. A-va-'riable-speed-'drivegenerally 59 is employed with the out-putpull'ey 60' thereof beingconnected to'pulley 57-by a beltr 6=1 andthe input pulley 62 beingconnected to pulley Y63- on the'. shaft of motor 33 by abelt64l i Y Inthe operation ofthe embodiment of Figures l and 2', the lengths ofsausagesare threaded' over -wheels 412, around pu1ley`35, andoverwheel-176'. Themachine is started, whereuponcrank 55 isrotaterdf'thrusting"rocker 44C- up' and downY against the resilienturging offtensioning meansV 14. -At the same time the iii-stV engagingand -advan'cing means Ztl".continuously draws` the lengths of sausagesin the{directioneindi'cated byf'arrow66lt`o advancethe lengths ofsausages through the-machine'.l The Iperi- Odio tensioning ofy thelengtl`1s-of` sausagescaused by the movement of rocker 44 workinglagainsttensioning means 14 applies the 'axial tension :of theie'ngthsrof sausages inthe casing-to loosen the -stringsfrom aboutethe casingand to cause the strings to fall away fromA the casing.V

'Referring now toY theV embodiment ofFi'guresV 3-5, a fra-me, generally70, earriesa 'first advancingV and engaging means generally 71 andasecondengaging and tensioning means generally 72. The first advancing'andengaging means 71 includes a gear head motor 73, the output shaft'of' which is connected-to a shaft 745 by means ofra coupling 15. VShaft74 is suitably journaled' in frame 70,y 4and has a gear 76 anda gro'ovedwheel 77 secured thereto. A second shaft 80, also journaled inV frame70, has attached to -itf a gear 81 and a grooved wheel 82. The rotationof' the output shaft ofY the Vgear headv motor 73 rotates shaft 74 withshaft80-bei'ng rotated bythe-engagement'tof the two gears 76 and 8-1.The'lengths'ofsausages 9 vare engaged between the two grooved wheelsv7'1" and 82 and advanced in the direction indicated by arrow 83. 'Iheengaging and tensioning means72 comprises wheel 85rotatably mounted on ashaft 86 and `heldl in place by lock'rings 87. Shaft 86 is suitablyjournaledfin frame 70; Wheel 85 carriesa detent generally 88 comprisinga pinl 89 slidably received within an opening in wheel 85,

Pin 89 has a shoulder 90.V A spring 91 pressing against Y Vshoulder 90and a cap 92 securedto Wheel V85 urges pin 89 in the direction of wall93 of frame 70. VWall 93 has a series of notches 94 to receive piny 89.

A roller 96 on shaft 97y secured to one end of rocker 98 is used to urgethe lengthsof sausages into engagement with wheelr85. A spring -99connecting the other end of rocker 98 and aV post 100 on frame 70Y urgesroller 96 toward wheel 85.V

VAs the lengths of sausages are drawn in the direction indicated fbyarrow 83 by the advancing and engaging means '71,k the detent 88periodically engages' the notches 94 in frame 70. As this occurs, therotation of wheel is abruptly stopped-V or slowed momentarily. However,the continued pull applied to the lengths vof sausages causes detent 88to move away from wall 93 against.V

the urging of spring 91 so that the detent ridesalong the inner face ofwall 93 until the next notch 94 is reached, whereupon theidetent88=engag`es th'atnotch causing' an abrupt stopping oflwheel 85.'Ihisaction'of they detent in momentarily slowingortarrlestingtherotation of wheel 85 provides a periodic axial tensionto the 'lengths' of sausages 9 thatv are continuously beilgurged in the'direction indicated by arrow83. i Y

The foregoing Vdescription vofv specific embodimentsis for thepurpose ofcompliance with 35 U. S; CL 1112, land we do not desire to bev limitedto-the exact-details shown and described, for obviousmodiications'willfoccur toa person skilled in the art.

This application is afdivision' ofi ou'r copending application, SerialNo. 507,442, tiledV MayY 10;V `1955, now Patent No..2,795,f81i1, datedJune V18', A1957. Y

We claim:

.The method o'f removing the strings-Wrapped around a filled. sausagecasing to form the lledcasing-into aV length. ofi linked sausages,saidm'ethod comprising the:Y step of repeatedly'applying an axialtension t'o'said length of linked sausage'sand casing.

References Cited in the tile of this `patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS2,686,927 Grey .Aug. 24,1954

